Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts. They certainly keep me motivated to continue. Please feel free to review or comment. I'm really excited about the next few chapters. I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself or miss anything along the way. Sorry for the few spelling mistakes. I've edited the last chapter on my iPad and for some reason, the spell check isn't catching things on Fanfiction as it does in other applications.

Silence.

It followed them into the car at the marina as the two adults sat next to each other in the back of the car; memories of the moment that Alfred had witnessed on the boat quickly becoming a thing of the past. Apart from a few casual glances and exchanged smiles, they said nothing. Even the arrival at the tarmac and boarding the private jet was made in silence. They said nothing as they ate supper and barely regarded each other.

And now as Bruce sat alone on the private jet, Alfred wanted to shake some sense into the man; into both of them. Instead, Alfred walked over to him and placed a glass of ice water on the small table before sitting down in a seat across from Bruce. He watched as Bruce seemed to be miles away while the man looked out the small window. Finally, Bruce turned to look at him, possibly feeling the older man's eyes on him.

"Where is Miss Tucker?" Alfred asked.

He looked back out the window. "Getting changed before we land in Miami."

"Have you spoken to her yet?"

Bruce's eyes met Alfred's, knowing the man knew more than what he let on. Bruce wasn't surprised. Alfred seemed to always know everything that was going on.

"Not yet," he replied. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Alfred. "What's going on with Emily and I?"

"You're asking me?"

Bruce let out an exasperated sigh. "I just don't know what's going on. She makes me feel happy. I don't have to hide who I am when I'm around her and it's refreshing. There are moments that I feel things for her which I've never felt for anyone before."

"And other times?"

"I feel guilty for feeling them," Bruce replied. "It makes me confused."

"You're thinking about Rachel," Alfred stated, rather than asked. He didn't need to be told that Bruce still thought of her often and continued to carry the guilt of her death on his own shoulders. Bruce never spoke of her much after her death. It worried Alfred somewhat. He fought with the decision he had made when he had burned her letter and final words to Bruce. Alfred often wondered if he had disclosed what her intentions were to him years ago, would the younger man be struggling now.

Bruce reached for the glass of ice water, feeling the cool condensation on his hand and saw the ring on the table it left behind. He took a sip.

"Yeah," he finally said, perhaps even admitting it to himself.

Alfred let out an audible sigh.

"Sir, Rachel was a special person in your life and she will never be replaced," Alfred said, watching as Bruce gently set the glass back down on the table. Alfred glanced up to see Emily walk out of the bathroom, her hair falling over her shoulders as she began to rummage through one of her duffle bags. "But Emily is special as well and she is someone who seems to accept you and every facet of your life. You'll never feel the same for her as you did for Rachel. If you try to wait for a relationship to become familiar to you, you may end up waiting too long and you'll be too late."

Alfred said the last few words quickly as he noticed Emily walking towards them, her duffle bag in her hand. She glanced down at Alfred and then met Bruce's eyes before she smiled sheepishly, setting the bag down in an empty seat beside them. She was back to wearing the pencil skirt and blouse and appeared ready, except her hair wasn't done. She casually tucked her hair back behind her ears.

"I need some help," she said, appearing a little embarrassed to be asking for assistance. "I took out my contacts and went to put on my glasses but they weren't in their case and I can't seem to be able to find them in my bag. I can't see properly without them and feeling for them isn't working."

Alfred looked over at Bruce as he stood up and began fishing through her bag, trying to feel for the frames.

"Did you have them on the yacht?"

Emily nodded. "I know I put them back in the bag, but I don't remember where I put them."

Alfred stood up. "I'll go and check our bags in the back. Perhaps it was accidentally placed in one of them."

Emily turned and watched the man walk away as Bruce gently felt the outside of the bag. A smile tugged at his face when he realized that they weren't in the bag at all. He unzipped a side pocket and reached inside before pulling out the small, black framed glasses.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, happily as she took them from his hand. "I'll go tell Alfred that we found them.

Bruce watched her turn to walk away when he quickly caught her by the arm.

"Hold on," he said, as she paused. "We need to talk and I'd rather do it when it's just us."

Emily nodded and slid an empty chair beside him.

That awkward silence suddenly filled the space between them again. It was becoming all too familiar and Bruce was getting frustrated with it.

Emily looked down at her bare feet, uncertain of what she should say or what he would say. She had never been in that situation before. She had never had to define a relationship with someone. Whenever it became to serious, rather than talking about it, she broke it off. It just seemed easier. This time, once again, she wanted to jump off that same cliff. Instead, a hand suddenly touched hers, tugging her back from that edge.

Bruce took a breath. He had asked this same question to countless women, but this time it felt different.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime? You know a lot about me and I'm wanting to know more about you."

Red alert! Emily's mind was screaming at her. She chose to ignore it and instead laced her fingers between his.

"All right. I'd love to," she said, smiling as she was defeating what her mind was telling her to do otherwise. Secretly, she was scared. No, she was freaking out. A potential relationship with Bruce Wayne? She didn't need reminding to know that the man who's hand she was gently caressing with her fingertips was also one of the most eligible bachelors in the city and she was the one who could be changing that status. Another thought came to mind when she realized that she would no longer be known as simply Dr. Emily Tucker, but instead Dr. Emily Tucker, Bruce Wayne's girlfriend.

He reached with his other hand and pushed the few strands of hair back behind her ear. She sighed, feeling the goosebumps rise on her arms.

In a further capacity to ignore what every facet of her being was telling her not to do, Emily reached forward defiantly and gently touched Bruce's face, feeling the stubble beneath her fingers. Deep down, she was warning herself what a bad idea this was and that a relationship with Bruce Wayne could never work out.

With a playful smile, she leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek. A smile grew on his face.

"What was that for?"

Emily shrugged, as she smiled flirtatiously at him; something she rarely did.

"That was for surprising me with the stop in Key West today," she replied, as she sat back in the chair, attempting to make herself more comfortable next to Bruce.

Bruce had to admit that although he had never seen this side of Emily, he was enjoying it.

"That's it?" he asked, mockingly.

Emily chuckled. "Consider the kiss I gave you in the water as a token of my appreciation."

"Hey, wait a minute," Bruce said, sitting up straighter and turning in his seat towards her. "I thought that you kissed me because you were falling in love with me."

Emily crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the seat towards Bruce. She smirked. "Okay then. But, did you really kiss me to shut me up? Because you could have just told me to shut up and I would've shut my mouth."

Emily watched Bruce's eyes change as he looked down at her hands. He gently took them in his own, noticing how small they were compared this his.

"I kissed you because I have feelings for you," he said quietly. "I don't exactly know how to explain it yet, but I care a lot about you and I was just overwhelmed when you told me that you were falling in love with me. I just couldn't believe that it would happen at all and happen so quickly considering we've known each other for close to a month."

Emily looked at Bruce's eyes.

"I think I first realized that I felt something when you turned down my invitation to going to the theatre," Emily admitted, with a shy smile.

Bruce smirked. "I'll make that up to you."

He leaned in towards her and lightly brushed his lips against her own. The touch was feather soft, but it wasn't enough. Emily pushed the arm rest back and out of the way before leaning further towards Bruce, deepening the kiss. She heard him let out a light moan and felt him glide his hands down her sides. He began to tug at the blouse firmly tucked in her skirt. When she felt his warm hands touch the skin on her lower back, she gasped and broke the kiss.

"What is it?" Bruce quickly asked, searching her eyes as she gently pushed her glasses up her nose as they had fallen down slightly.

"Nothing," she replied softly. "I..uh...isn't Alfred just in the other room? We should be landing soon anyways."

Perhaps the thought never occurred to Bruce or maybe he just wasn't concerned with Alfred nearby as the man was always close by.

"Oh, right," Bruce said, as Emily bit her lip. He could tell that something was on her mind as she looked at his face.

"Would you mind also if we kept this relationship thing to ourselves? At least for the next little while as we get used to each other and get to know each other a little more."

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Of course." Suddenly he leaned in slightly. "But you don't need to worry about Alfred The man probably already knows."

Emily appeared surprised. "He does?"

"I do, Miss Tucker," replied a voice as Alfred walked up to them, with a grin on his face. Emily stifled a laugh as Alfred sat down across from them while the plane prepared to land.

Alfred wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't been seeing it with his own eyes.

He watched in hidden amusement as Bruce Wayne would toss subtle glances towards Emily as they rode quietly, side by side in the car to the hotel and then again while he spoke with the hotel manager upon their arrival. To a bystander, he would've appeared to have been acting himself; the playboy. But Alfred could see through it. Bruce was no longer acting. The loving smiles he candidly sent Emily's way were genuine. Bruce's tough exterior was crumbling all thanks to a woman who was thrown into his life by accident.

He found it amusing to watch the couple in the privacy of the elevator once the doors closed. Attempting to be discreet in Alfred's presence, Emily slowly reached out with one hand for Bruce's as he laced his fingers between hers until the elevator came to a stop at the penthouse suite level. Both Emily and Bruce's hands dropped to their sides, anticipating someone in the hallway. Alfred didn't think that he would see anything more amusing that day than that. That was, until he walked into the large kitchen of the penthouse suite.

Bruce was standing over a pot of boiling water on the stainless steel stove, as he held up a small bag to the light. The man let out a frustrated sigh and seeing the dozens of empty pots on the counter and only one being on the stove top, Alfred was certain that there was a good story behind it. Unfortunatley, the billionaire seemed too frazzled and Alfred was certain that the man's patience was running too thin to handle a light joke or two at his expense. Instead, Alfred tried a different approach.

"Is there something I can help you with sir?"

Bruce nodded, handing Alfred the small envelope. The man read the side of the package as a smile came to his face. He quickly opened it and took a deep breath. It was tea. It had a nice fruity aroma.

"Emily handed me that and asked me if I could make some tea for her," Bruce said. "I've never made loose leaf tea like this before. I have no clue how much to put in compared to water."

Alfred smiled. "It all depends on how much you'd want to make." He paused looking around. "Where is Miss Tucker, anyways?"

Bruce turned off the element where the pot of water was boiling.

"She's taking a shower to get the leftover mud off," he replied.

Alfred debated on whether he should ask about the mud but he quickly disregarded it.

"The plan for the evening is tea and a movie," Bruce added, as he watched Alfred scoop a few spoonfuls of the tea into the bottom of the glass container.

"Sounds like a nice night in, sir," Alfred commented with a smile. "It's not very often you're not out at this hour."

Bruce agreed. It had been a long time since he wasn't able to go out at night. His mind wandered back to Gotham and wondered what Batman was missing with being off the streets for one night. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice Emily back in the kitchen, standing beside Alfred as he poured tea into three cups.

"That smells wonderful," Alfred said. "Where did you get it?"

Emily shrugged. "A friend of mine gave it to me and I think he picked it up at a market downtown. I'll see if I can get the name for you."

Bruce watched her, seeing her dark hair falling over her shoulders and onto her light green t-shirt. His eyes travelled down to her striped matching sleep pants. In her most casual state possible, he found her extremely beautiful.

When he noticed that she was coming towards him, he smiled and took the mug from her hands, thanking her softly. As much as he wasn't a fan of tea, he had to admit that it smelled great. It wasn't like the teas that Alfred practically force-fed him when he was sick as a child, claiming to prove to him that they would help a cold.

Alfred bid them both goodnight and disappeared down the hallway, carrying his own teacup, when Bruce turned to Emily.

"So, what are we going to watch?" Bruce asked, as he followed Emily towards the couches surrounding the mounted 36 inch television.

She shrugged, as she set down her mug on the table and picked up the remote, turning on the television. A smile came to her face when she recognized the black and white scene on the screen.

"I Love Lucy," Bruce remarked as he also recognized the actors on the television. He sat down on the couch. "My parents loved this show. They'd watch it whenever there would be reruns of the show on."

Emily sighed and sat down beside him.

"I hated this show when I was growing up, but I began to enjoy it when I was in University," she said. "It was the show we watched to unwind during exams."

Bruce watched a scene and began to chuckle. "Yeah, I can imagine a little humour during a stressful time would do wonders."

Emily nodded, taking a careful sip from her teacup.

"Why didn't you like it when you were younger?"

She paused and thought.

"I guess I was a little jealous of their kid," she admitted, taking another sip.

Bruce looked at the screen, watching the interaction between Ricky and Lucy and watching Little Ricky come bounding happily into the room only to be scooped up by his loving father. Thoughts poured through his head and Bruce even began to become a little angry as he thought through the possibilities of what Emily could have gone through as a child. Emily made things clear for him.

"My Dad walked out on my Mom and I when I was eight," she said. "I followed him out the door and to his car, begging him to stay. He drove down the road and never came back. I've never seen him since."

She felt a hand gently caress her back. With a sigh, she leaned back into the couch. Bruce brought his hand up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Then after my Mom seemingly got over her depression, she went through a slew of boyfriends and various jobs," she told him. "It wasn't until I came home for Christmas during my first year of University that I realized how deep in trouble she had gotten herself. I found her unconscious on the couch, reacting to an overdose of drugs she had been on." Emily paused, looking back up at Lucille Ball on the screen. "She lived for a few more days and passed away just before New Years."

"I'm sorry," Bruce said softly into her ear.

"I went back to school the following week like nothing ever happened," she said. "People would come up to me at school and tell me how sorry they were and to ask if I needed anything. I put on a smile and acted like everything was fine. I never got close to anyone after that. I was better at being angry. I bottled things down. I never let relationships get past a certain point because I didn't want to feel anything."

Bruce could certainly relate. As he listened to her speak, he could anticipate exactly what she would say or how she'd feel.

Emily rested her head against Bruce's shoulder, and he brushed her hair away from his face with his hand. She let out a breath.

"And I've been like that for the past 12 years."

She paused for a moment before smiling.

"But then you had to come and ruin it all," she said, nudging him with her elbow.

Bruce chuckled.

"I'm serious," she said with a smile, pushing up to turn to look at him. "You've made me feel like there is more to life. I've felt more alive since I've met you."

Bruce reached forward and pushed the hair that had fallen into her face back with his hand. He paused with his hand in her hair as a smile grew on his face.

"Did you know that you've become more beautiful since I've met you?"

She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Are you saying that I was ugly before I met you?"

Bruce let out a laugh. "Hey! You're digging a hole for me here."

Emily laughed along with him. Bruce looked over at her.

"But I can relate to feeling more alive," he said, with a smile. "I think you've brought me back to life."

Emily leaned in towards Bruce and took his face between her hands before placing her lips on his. Bruce sat up straighter as Emily wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her back and held her to him before slowly laying her down on the couch, never breaking the kiss. Bruce laid down beside her, as Emily turned her body to face him and to prevent herself from falling off. Emily felt Bruce sweep his hand down her back to rest on her backside. She slowly broke the kiss and trailed kisses down his neck to his collarbone.

Bruce gasped at the sensation, and pulled Emily closer to him.

"Emily," Bruce said, nearly breathlessly.

She didn't even respond.

"Emily," he said again, this time a little louder.

She stopped and looked up at him, their faces an inch apart. She was just as breathless as he was. He looked at her blue eyes through a few wisps of hair.

"Yeah?"

Bruce didn't really know what to say. He didn't want to push her into anything but he also knew that he couldn't continue like this.

"Let's go..." he began.

"...somewhere else?" she finished.

A smile formed on their faces as they both quickly pushed up off the couch, giggling and shushing each other as they tried to silently make their way down the hallway. Bruce planted a rough yet passionate kiss onto Emily's lips before pushing the door to his bedroom open and then closed it behind him, ensuring to lock it.